Editor’s note: This week’s installment of Steve Bailey’s column on Anson County history consists of text from articles published in The Anson Times on Feb. 21 and 28, 1884. The text is published here as copied from the article:
The Anson Times — Feb. 21, 1884 — Tuesday’s cyclone caused great destruction of property and killed thirty-two people. The winds began to blow about 8 p.m., were very high and were accompanied by thunder and lightning of unusual severity. The whole air was charged with electricity and the storm increased in its fury and violence until about 2 a.m. Wadesboro was fortunate in not being in the path of the storm. Trees and fences were blown down and a kitchen on the premises of Dr. Ingram was lifted from its pillows. This, we are glad to say is about all the damages done in the town, but the surrounding country suffered much.
On the farm of Mr. Bee Martin on Brown Creek, the cabin of a Negro man was blown down and he was instantly killed. On Mr. Steve Boyette’s place every house except his dwelling was blown down. The house occupied by a man and his wife near Mr. Boyette’s was leveled by the winds but the inmates were unhurt. Sheriff Wall’s residence was un-roofed and his cotton gin house were blown down. Mr. Thomas Beverly, near Sheriff Wall’s, lost all of his houses; there is not one timber standing on the others. His meat was blown away and he also lost his corn and farm supplies. Mr. Henry Huntley lost every house on his place except his dwelling. At Mr. William Little’s place 28 out of 30 houses were blown down and three Negroes were killed.
Mr. F. B. Flake’s store house was unroofed and his goods damaged by the rain. A colored tenant of his, “Croux” Staton, went out of his house when the wind rose and has not been seen. Fate Allen, colored, was crippled by his house being blown over. The building caught fire but the flames were extinguished by the rain. James Thomas, white, a tenant of Mr. Moody Allen lost his house and effects. James Hough, another of Mr. Allen’s tenants, also lost his home. The building took fire but the rains extinguished the flames.
A special dispatch from Polkton NC says: A severe storm of wind and hail crossed the railroad about a mile east of Polkton last night prostrating everything in its course. Could see the storm from Polkton by lightning, looked like a cloud of dense smoke and sounded like thunder. Hail stones measuring 2 1/2 inches long, 1 1/2 inches wide and one inch thick fell.
Early yesterday morning a messenger arrived in this town from the farm near Polkton NC of Mr. F. M. Gray for a coffin for the body of Mrs. Gray. The storm in it’s fury leveled the dwelling, 3 shops, smoke house grainery, kitchen and corn crib on Mr. Gray’s place. The falling timbers of the residence killed Mrs.Gray and seriously injured her husband who is reported to be in a very critical condition. Their son, Mr. E. H. Gray, was blown 20 yards from the site of the residence but was not hurt.
The most distressing news comes from Rockingham NC and the loss of life there seems to have very great. From passengers on the freight train yesterday we learn that the cyclone passed through the outskirts of town in an easterly direction from the post office. Twenty to thirty persons were killed and a great many wounded. All business was suspended and the physicians and the citizens did their best to relieve suffering. Eleven dead bodies, eight colored and three white men were gotten from among the debris yesterday morning and were placed in the Court House.
At Darlington SC the railroad depot was unroofed and four are said to have been killed. It is also reported the storm did much damage at Laurinburg NC but as the telegraph wires have been down in every direction we could not get “specials” through to these points.
The Anson Times — Feb. 28, 1884 — As we expected the storm was much more violent and fearful than we knew positively when we went to press last Wednesday evening. The sad and sickening accounts of the cyclone began to pour in last Thursday and our exchanges have since been full of the horrible details of the loss of life occasioned by it as it swept in its wild carnival of death and destruction. From our exchanges we clip much of the news we herewith produce.
At Rockingham NC the storm it seems began near McDonald’s mills on Fulling Creek near town – say about half a mile south of the mills. Before reaching the mills several small houses were blown away, but no one was killed. The mills, saw and grist, with cotton gin attached, were scattered like chaff. Even the mill stones were taken up and carried several yards. The “breast” of the mill was blown out turning the pond off. Several of the out houses about the mills were blown away and Mr. John L. Dawkins, a big fat man weighing about 350 pounds, who was in one of them, was severely injured.
The next houses taken in by the storm, after leaving the mills, were the residences of Richard Dawkins, Sandy Smith, Asbury Sandford, Walter Dawkins, Wiley Dawkins Mr. Evander J. McDonald, and J. G. Grant. All these were completely swept away except that of Walter and Wiley Dawkins, which, being on the outskirts of the storm, escaped with slight damage. The storm next struck the Philadelphia colored settlement, north of Rockingham NC in which nineteen dwelling houses, most of which, though small, were substantially built frame buildings, were totally destroyed, together with the Philadelphia Colored Methodist Church, All together, more than fifty houses were destroyed and the loss cannot be less than $15,000.
The following is a list of the citizens known to have been killed; Richard Dawkins, aged about 40 years, Charles, son of Asbury Sandford, aged about 14 years, Mrs. Flora Henrietta Griffin, aged about 18 years, leaving an infant about 8 months old, which was found unhurt in its dead mother’s arms. Emma Terry, daughter of the late Sheriff, Harris G. Terry, aged about 10 years. Asa Dawkins, son of Walter Dawkins, aged about 14 years, collar bone broken, Mrs. Sarah Grant, wife of J. A. Grant, face and chest injured, son of Asbury Sandford, name unknown, aged about 7 or 8 years old, left arm fractured, William T. Hall and wife who were visiting Mr. Asbury Sandford, slightly wounded. There were eleven colored persons killed and thirty-two wounded.
To be continued in the next issue of the Anson Record.
Steve Bailey is employed with the Anson County Historical Society and has specialized in local African-American family history for 20 years.
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